


Watch Over You

by lovesnarf (snarfette)



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Caring protective aaron, M/M, after the carbon monoxide leak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-14 00:58:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15377226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarfette/pseuds/lovesnarf
Summary: Of course Aaron was going to worry about Robert after the carbon monoxide leak.





	Watch Over You

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a post on tumblr by Emma about Aaron staying up to watch Robert sleep after his recent scare.

“You look shattered,” Robert said as he wandered over to Aaron as he leant against the kitchen counter, mug of tea clutched in his hands. He stifled his own yawn as he reached for the coffee pot, which just reminded Aaron of why they were both exhausted. “Didn’t you sleep very well?” Robert continued.

Aaron shrugged. His eyes roamed over Robert’s face, checking him, making sure the colour was returning to his skin, the dark, almost bruise-like shadows beneath his eyes were fading. He knew he’d been keeping a close eye on the other man since the carbon monoxide leak, since Robert had been allowed to leave the hospital, but he didn’t want Robert to accuse him of fussing. “Just been a crazy week, I s’pose.”

Robert just hummed in response. Aaron knew that Robert was still going over and over what had happened with the leak. He knew that he was trying to understand what had gone wrong. And he knew that Robert was feeling guilty about it all, despite everyone’s reassurances that it wasn’t his fault. “Scrap yard today?” Robert eventually said, once he’d finished preparing his coffee. 

To be truthful, Aaron didn’t really feel like it. He wanted Robert to take another day off work and get some more rest, and he wanted to stay at home with him. But he knew Robert would just argue with him about it, insist he was fine, and even if by some miracle he agreed to stay at home, he’d make Aaron go to work and then he wouldn’t be around to keep an eye on him. So he reluctantly agreed that they’d head into work together. At least, he could check up on Robert if they were both at the yard.

***

By half nine that night, Aaron was nodding off on the sofa. Robert was a warm presence against his side and he felt comfortable and weary and his eyes started to droop.

He jolted awake suddenly and immediately looked at Robert’s slightly startled face. He looked like he’d been dozing too and blinked in confusion at Aaron’s sudden movement.

“Wha’s up?” he asked as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Aaron looked Robert over quickly and shook his head. “Nothin’” he murmured. “Just hadn’t realised I’d fallen asleep.”

“Shall we head up to bed?” Robert asked.

Aaron nodded, switching off the TV before following Robert up the staircase and to their bedroom.

They prepared for bed in silence, purely because they were both so tired, and slipped under the duvet within minutes of each other.

“You alright?” Robert murmured as he rolled onto his side and leant his head against Aaron’s shoulder.

Aaron turned his head slightly and pressed a quick kiss to the side of Robert’s head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just been a bit of a week, that’s all.”

“You need to get a good night’s sleep,” Robert said quietly. “I’ve noticed you tossing and turning.”

Aaron hadn’t realised that Robert had been aware of his unsettled sleep. He’d just not been able to settle into a deep sleep since what had happened. He’d been having nightmares: images of himself catching a later flight and coming home to find Robert and Liv deathly pale and not breathing; him walking in and not being able to find them at all but knowing that something was horribly wrong; him chasing after them, yelling their names, but them slipping away from him, never being able to reach them.

He’d been lying awake as Robert had drifted off into an exhausted sleep, every night since he’d been out of hospital, just watching Robert. He’d been waiting for each time Robert’s chest would rise and fall as he breathed deeply in his sleep. He’d been waiting for any slight hitch in his breath, any sign of discomfort, any frown on his sleeping face that showed that he was feeling unwell. Because no matter what the doctors said, he couldn’t relax. He couldn’t rest easy. Because Robert had nearly died. And even though he was ‘better’, Aaron was painfully aware of what could go wrong, and the fact that Robert had past complications where his lungs were concerned.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“You haven’t,” Robert told him gently. “Just worried about you.”

Robert sounded like he was fighting off sleep, but refusing to give in to it, stubborn as always.

“You don’t need to,” Aaron replied quietly.

“And neither do you,” Robert murmured in response. “I’m okay, you know.”

Aaron sighed heavily: he should’ve known that Robert could read him like a comic.

“And stop watching me while I’m sleeping,” Robert said.

Aaron could hear the smile in his voice, knew he was teasing him to try to make him relax.

“I thought it was sweet at first, but now...not so much,” Robert continued lightly.

Aaron huffed out a soft laugh. “You love it,” he replied, nudging Robert slightly.

Robert suddenly moved, pushing himself up on his elbow so he could look down at Aaron. He still looked tired, but he looked so much better. Aaron felt some of the tension that he’d been carrying drain from him.

“Yeah...I do,” Robert told him. He leant down and pressed a quick kiss to Aaron’s lips before he lay down again and pressed himself against Aaron’s side.

Aaron breathed out deeply, wrapping his arm around Robert’s back to hold him close. He felt Robert’s steady breathing and allowed himself to relax.

And for the first time in days, he fell asleep first.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m snarfettelove on tumblr.


End file.
